This is my take on why a child should have a sibling!!
Before I begin, I must say, I have two sisters in the same geographic region and I haven’t seen either of them for over a year. Another sister regularly visits Australia and I haven’t seen her for almost 7 years.
So then why do I say children need siblings?
Siblings teach you the most important lesson in life..they teach you to accept that “life is not fair”
Once you learn that simple lesson, you then figure out the ways and means to work around the system. Cousins and friends don’t teach you that lesson in a similar way, because at the end of the day, they go to their own home and you can’t relate to them the way you relate to a brother or sister.
Siblings teach you to share.
Every child needs to learn to live as part of a cohesive unit called family and sharing is an intrinsic part of the cohesive unit. You may not want to share your room, but if the family has four kids and three bedrooms, you will end up sharing. Which also teach you to respect hierarchy..is, the older ones get priority and you wait for them to go to University, so you can take the room, cupboard etc!!
Siblings teach you to fight.
You will learn that, only the strongest and the smartest survive. So you fight for what ever that you think needs to be fought. You don’t give up, cause if you do, the next strong person will get whatever you were hoping to get. Fighting with an equal partner in the unit called family makes you understand that there will always be a winner ( and a loser!)
Every child needs to understand what it feels to lose a game/or whatever. That creates your character. How not to be a sore loser!
Siblings teach you to use second hand stuff..Having a sibling makes a child understand that you are not entitled to everything and it is ok to use the textbook your sister used 7 years ago, even though everyone in your class has a brand new text book.. You learn to give importance to what actually matters..having a text book( however old) is more important that not having one.
Siblings makes you watch a TV program you really didn’t want to see. Again, it makes you accept that you may have missed that important episode in Buniyad, but it was your sister’s turn to hold the remote control and if she wanted to watch an NBA basketball game, you will just have to agree to it. It teaches you that life is not about missing a TV program..there is much more to life than Buniyad.
Siblings teach you how it feels to betrayed when they snitch on you and get you in to big trouble at home or at school. It is better that every child learn that lesson at home, cause when it happens outside your home..you will be able to cope with it.
But having said all that, I have had a lot of good times with my sisters. We shared the good times and the bad times, we shared the laughter and tears..
I don’t deny that my sisters made me a cynic, but deep in my heart I know if I need help, all I need is to call my sisters and they will be there.. even though we never see eye to eye and never will..But that is what siblings are for..they will be there when you need them
sound statement…..u r absolutely right. Better to learn the hard lessons at home………than to learn it out!!!!!!!
Posted it once, but can't seem to find it. No idea where it went!
Hi Nina/Sarah/… whoever you are! I feel like I know you inside out – I have been reading your blogs right from the first entry. Considering that I just discovered it about 2-3 weeks back, you can say I put in a bit of effort! I even took leave from office just to read it 🙂 You have done a wonderful job writing it.
I am from Kerala, 10 years your junior (finished SSLC in 1996), am at Bangalore now! I could follow all malayalam phrases you had, could grasp the background, could understand when you talked about Bangalore, Austin Town, … And we have a new game now – I tell my son “I am not a lorry to carry your sorry” when he says “sorry”. He keeps saying sorry for no reason – just to hear me say that. Mind you, he is just 2 years 7 months old!
I did not have the childhood you had – mine was way better. I can't help wondering about people around you – your mother, father, Maria, Liza, Sally. Their actions were probably justified. Atleast they would have thought so at that time. I was an elder sister. And I have done a lot of mean things to my brother and mother. I really repent it now. But back then, while I was doing it, everything I did had a reason. And to my twisted mind, I was correct. But although I was mean, I still loved them a lot. I just didn't realize that I was hurting them. I wish I could tell them that I am sorry. But due to something else I did later, which I don't regret, they don't talk to me any more. Shelldince, if you ever read this, please note that I am sorry that I was selfish and mean. I wish you would talk to me.
There is one more thing I really have to tell you. I too read novels when everyone else is revising for exams. same pinch… 🙂
Wishing you the very best in life. Waiting for more stories about yaya, toothless and baby. I really like your way of writing.